


Tender is The Night

by 13ee



Category: Annihilation (2018 Garland), Annihilation - Fandom
Genre: Anxiety, Cuddling, F/F, Missing Scene
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-30
Updated: 2018-06-30
Packaged: 2019-05-31 10:36:44
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 328
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15117599
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/13ee/pseuds/13ee
Summary: Josie and Anya cuddle in the watchtower.





	Tender is The Night

**Author's Note:**

> Happy Pride Month! I am so gay for these two and they are so gay for each other! (Also Janelle Monáe and Tessa Thompson confirmed their relationship today!!! 20gayteen is real!!!)
> 
> Thank you to my best friend Kai for proof-reading!!!

Josie can’t sleep. It’s not that it’s cold. It’s warm actually, which is why they both have their sleeping bags unzipped, why it is so easy for Anya to throw an arm over Josie’s waist, not pulling her closer, just resting there. Josie doesn’t know if Anya’s asleep. If it’s intentional. It feels nice, which makes her feel guilty. What if Anya is asleep and it’s an accident; is Josie taking advantage of her? Should she move away? She doesn’t want to. The weight of Anya’s arm is grounding; having her so near, having proof of her existence, makes Josie feel something approaching safe. Anya shifts behind her, and Josie stops breathing, holding perfectly still. The arm around her waist tightens and she is pulled back against Anya’s chest. She can’t help but relax against the warm solid body behind her. The strength of the arm, now wrapped more tightly around her, is comforting. She wants to turn her head, to see if Anya is awake, to know if she can let herself enjoy this, but she doesn’t dare, doesn’t want to lose the feeling. Josie is caught between calm and anxiety, her body comfortable and secure and her mind whirling. Anya shifts closer to her, her breath tickles the back of Josie’s neck. She jumps when she feels lips brushing her shoulder.  
“Come on, go to sleep.” Anya urges, her voice rough, the words spoken so close to Josie’s body that she feels them more than hears them. She lets herself relax into Anya’s hold, nestles into the curve of her strong body, brings her own arm up to drape over the one around her waist, sighs when Anya tangles their fingers together. She is warm, maybe too warm, but now it just lulls her and she finds herself slipping back to into sleep, knowing she is protected, the closest she can get to safe, here where nothing is safe and the only certain thing is uncertainty.

**Author's Note:**

> Honestly I have complicated feelings about this movie. I loved the book and it is pretty important to me. The movie was so different (no tower, different characters, whatever the fuck that thing at the end was) and really overplayed things when I thought one of the book's biggest strengths was the more subtle growing unease. I tried really hard to put aside the book while watching it, but it was hard. I really think they should have used a different name and credited it as "inspired by" but not treated it as a film adaption. Josie and Anya were definitely high-lights for me.
> 
> Thanks for reading and have a lovely day!


End file.
